Equal Opportunities for Older Women

Mainly: CNAV (Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Vieillesse - National Old Age Insurance Schemes) ; MSA (Mutualité Sociale Agricole - Social Welfare Insurance for Agricultural Workers and Farmers)font>

Law relating to the Social Security Code

Witwen und Witwer eines Versicherten der allgemeinen Rentenversicherung oder anderer staatlicher Alterskassen, sofern die/der Verwitwete zum Zeitpunkt des Ablebens des Ehepartners keine 55 Jahre alt waren.

The widows' pension is intended as a transitional measure aimed at promoting the integration of widows below the age of 55 into the labour market, i.e., until the age when their aspiration to a survivors' penion becomes valid.

The aspiration to a widow's pension, the payment of which ends when the age of 55 is reached (the age the survivors' penion comes into play) is dependent on several conditions:
- the death of the marital partner before the surviving partner is 55 years of age;
- the deceased marital partner must have had social insurance;
- the surviving partner must still be responsible for the support of at least one child, or have brought up one child for nine years before the age of 16;
- the trimestrial income of the surviving partner must be below a fixed limit, namely, 11,524FF (1,757€) in 1997 (taking into account personal income and the widow's pension).

Certain changes were made in 1998.

Liaisons Sociales, anonym, 1997 : "Barème social périodique" ("Periodic Tables of Social Welfare"), No 38/Nouvelle série (new series), 31.07.1997.

CNAV, 110 rue de Flandre, F 75019 Paris

http://www.marianne-en-ligne.fr/97-07-07/dessus-b.htm